ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 11 -- United States Patent no. 12,544,108, issued on Feb. 10, was assigned to AO TECHNOLOGY AG (Chur, Switzerland).
"External retaining device for bone fractures (external fixator)" was invented by Dankward Hontzsch (Tubingen, Germany) and Werner Stehr (Horb, Germany).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A joint of an external retaining device for fragments of a bone (external fixator) with circular ribs and grooves having a V-shaped cross-section, the flanks of which form frustum-shaped friction surfaces, which enable a high friction force to prevent rotation of the joint, and thereby prevent inadvertent displacement of the retaining device, and enable adjustment of the retain...